the basic message #E334
4/29/05
Who are you? Maybe that's a bit rude of me to be so forward, so allow me to introduce myself. I'm John Singleton, the "basicchristian". The chances are we've never met, since most people that know me personally don't read this weekly message. It would seem that my thoughts and opinions aren't welcomed by my friends and relatives, but that's okay. My need for peer approval has diminished over the years, but my curiosity about who visits this site remains.
The facts from my hosting company tell me that I get about 2800 hits per month. On some days I might get over 100 hits, but then on a "slow" day I might only get 60. I have no idea why some days or some hours are hotter than others. But let me ask my original question again: "Who are you?" I'd really like to know. If you're a first and last time visitor today, please tell me why you didn't like the site. It might be that you were looking for Calvin and Hobbs material, and found that I only mentioned the duo in a message about bumper stickers. The monthly report tells me that quite a few people visit the site to read what I said about Gary Busey. Perhaps they didn't appreciate the fact that I called Busey a hypocrite for professing Christ but not possessing Christ. If I'm wrong about Busey, please let me know where I went astray.
Apparently Charles Stanley and the Iraq war are hot search engine topics too. Maybe you're a Stanley fan and you didn't like my expose on his misguided opinions regarding the war. Charles Stanley has an ideal opportunity to be a great man of God, but he often gets in the way of God making progress in his life. The same probably holds true for me, but since I'm not an internationally known celebrity, it really doesn't matter much. I'm frequently asked why I stay mad most of the time, and while it might seem like I am, that's a mistaken viewpoint. What I am is disappointed. I'm disappointed in many of the people close to me, I'm disappointed in well-known religious leaders and quite frequently I'm disappointed in myself. I'm naive enough to believe with my whole heart that most of us are capable of much more in our lives. Are you satisfied with your performance level? Tell me about it.
Who are you? Are you old? Young? Christian? Atheist? Jewish? Do you think like I do, or do you abhor what I think? Tell me. Are you the type of person that curses the darkness, or do you tend to light candles? Is the glass half-empty, or is it half-full? Being the kind of guy I am, I don't care if the glass is empty or full until I know what's in it. If it's prune juice, I hope it's totally empty, but if it's Materva soda, fill it up, baby. Do you read my stuff because you think it's good, or do you read it to keep up with what the "nuts" are up to in this world?
I'm often irreverent, which I suppose sounds kind of strange. Although I write about Christianity every week, I'm dead-set against crowning Christianity to be the "official" religion of America. If Christianity is going to flourish in America, it's because God is on the case, not George W. Quite frankly, I think W. has done more damage to the Christian movement than any president in the past 20 years. Everyone complained about Bill Clinton, but I don't ever recall Clinton proclaiming himself to be holy. Old Bill might have been more interested in worshiping a Whopper at Burger King on a Sunday morning jog than lifting hands to God. I live in Louisiana, and George W. is a big hit with the bulk of our population. That's okay, it's a free country, for now at least.
How many of you will email me? Not many, I'd guess. It's not because it's me, it's a phenomenon that's pretty common in the religion business. Even big name preachers on the radio often make passionate appeals for listeners to contact them and tell them if their shows are doing any good. I'm told that many ministries pull the plug on their radio and TV programs, only to get hundreds of letters asking, "what happened to the program?" It's the same old routine- you never know what you've got until it's gone. One thing is sure- I'll keep hammering out this message every week from now until whether anyone reads it or not.
I once had an idea about being a personal pastor for the internet audience. Let me explain. I figured there might be 10-15 people out there that have rejected conventional religion, but still have a hunger for God. I would basically have email conversations with these folks as needed. Perhaps they might have a Biblical question I could help with. Maybe they just need someone to talk to. People have personal fitness trainers. People have financial consultants. Why can't they have a personal spiritual advisor? Am I being egotistical to think I can fill that role? I sincerely hope not, because I'd really like to take a servant's role in such an endeavor. Do I know everything about the Bible and about Christianity? Nope- not even close, but I've heard a deeper level of "Christian connection" from janitors than some high-profile religious leaders, so credentials don't matter.
I'm looking forward to hearing from you. I'll answer every email and I promise to "speak when I'm spoken to" in the future. In other words, you won't hear from me unless you want to. Fair enough? Who are you?